HMAS Cairns (J183)
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| HMAS Cairns
HMAS Cairns
|
|
| History | |
|---|---|
 Australia |
|
| Namesake: | City of Cairns, Queensland |
| Builder: | Walkers Limited |
| Laid down: | 31 March 1941 |
| Launched: | 7 October 1941 |
| Commissioned: | 11 May 1942 |
| Decommissioned: | 17 January 1946 |
| Honours and awards: |
|
| Fate: | Transferred to RNN |
| History | |
 Netherlands |
|
| Name: | Ambon |
| Commissioned: | 17 January 1946 |
| Fate: | Transferred to TNI-AL |
| History | |
 Indonesia |
|
| Name: | Banteng |
| Commissioned: | 6 April 1950 |
| Fate: | Broken up for scrap in 1968 |
| General characteristics | |
| Class & type: | Bathurst-class corvette |
| Displacement: | 650 tons (standard), 1,025 tons (full war load) |
| Length: | 186 ft (57 m) |
| Beam: | 31 ft (9.4 m) |
| Draught: | 8.5 ft (2.6 m) |
| Propulsion: | triple expansion engine, 2 shafts. 2,000 hp |
| Speed: | 15 knots (28 km/h; 17 mph) at 1,750 hp |
| Complement: | 85 |
| Armament: | 1 × 4-inch gun, 3 × Oerlikons (later 4), 1 × Bofors (installed later), Machine guns, Depth charges chutes and throwers |
HMAS Cairns (J183), named for the city of Cairns, Queensland, was one of 60 Bathurst-class corvettes constructed during World War II and one of 20 built for the Admiralty but manned by personnel of and commissioned into the Royal Australian Navy (RAN).[1]
Contents
Design and construction
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In 1938, the Australian Commonwealth Naval Board (ACNB) identified the need for a general purpose 'local defence vessel' capable of both anti-submarine and mine-warfare duties, while easy to construct and operate.[2][3] The vessel was initially envisaged as having a displacement of approximately 500 tons, a speed of at least 10 knots (19 km/h; 12 mph), and a range of 2,000 nautical miles (3,700 km; 2,300 mi)[4] The opportunity to build a prototype in the place of a cancelled Bar-class boom defence vessel saw the proposed design increased to a 680-ton vessel, with a 15.5 knots (28.7 km/h; 17.8 mph) top speed, and a range of 2,850 nautical miles (5,280 km; 3,280 mi), armed with a 4-inch gun, equipped with asdic, and able to fitted with either depth charges or minesweeping equipment depending on the planned operations: although closer in size to a sloop than a local defence vessel, the resulting increased capabilities were accepted due to advantages over British-designed mine warfare and anti-submarine vessels.[2][5] Construction of the prototype HMAS Kangaroo did not go ahead, but the plans were retained.[6] The need for locally built 'all-rounder' vessels at the start of World War II saw the "Australian Minesweepers" (designated as such to hide their anti-submarine capability, but popularly referred to as "corvettes") approved in September 1939, with 60 constructed during the course of the war: 36 ordered by the RAN, 20 (including Cairns) ordered by the British Admiralty but manned and commissioned as RAN vessels, and 4 for the Royal Indian Navy.[2][7][8][9][1]
Cairns was laid down by Walkers Limited at Maryborough, Queensland on 31 March 1941.[1] She was launched on 7 October 1941 by Mrs. R. D. Walker, wife of the Works Manager of Walkers Limited, and commissioned into the RAN on 11 May 1942.[1]
Operational history
From entering service until 16 October 1942, Cairns was based in Fremantle and operated as a convoy escort, anti-submarine patroller, and minesweeper.[1] On 16 October, the corvette was reassigned to the British Eastern Fleet and ordered to Kilindini, Kenya, arriving on 14 November.[1]
Cairns remained with the Eastern Fleet until January 1945.[1] Most of this time was spent on patrol or escort duties in the Indian Ocean. The corvette was reassigned to the Mediterranean from June until September 1943.[1] During this time, Cairns was involved in the Allied invasion of Sicily.[1] On 11 February 1944, a convoy Cairns was assigned to was attacked by Japanese submarine RO-110.[1] The corvette was involved in the successful destruction of the submarine, but one convoy ship was torpedoed.[1] Following a refit in Adelaide from May to July 1944, Cairns was redeployed to Colombo, which was her base of operations until January 1945, when the corvette was sent back to Australia.[1]
On arrivial in Australian waters, Cairns was assigned to the British Pacific Fleet.[1]
The ship received four battle honours for her wartime service: "Pacific 1942–45", "Indian Ocean 1942–45", "Sicily 1943", and "Okinawa 1945".[10][11]
Following the end of World War II, all Admiralty-owned Bathurst class corvettes were disposed of. Cairns was paid off in Brisbane on 17 January 1946.[1] She was immediately recommissioned into the Royal Netherlands Navy (RNN) and renamed HNLMS Ambon.[1]
Following four years of service with the RNN, the ship was transferred to the Indonesian Navy on 6 April 1950 and renamed KRI Banteng.[1]
Fate
The corvette was broken up for scrap in April 1968.[1]
Citations
- ↑ 1.00 1.01 1.02 1.03 1.04 1.05 1.06 1.07 1.08 1.09 1.10 1.11 1.12 1.13 1.14 1.15 1.16 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Stevens, The Australian Corvettes, p. 1
- ↑ Stevens, A Critical Vulnerability, p. 103
- ↑ Stevens, A Critical Vulnerability, pp. 103–4
- ↑ Stevens, A Critical Vulnerability, pp. 103–5
- ↑ Stevens, A Critical Vulnerability, p. 104
- ↑ Stevens, A Critical Vulnerability, pp. 105, 148
- ↑ Donohue, From Empire Defence to the Long Haul, p. 29
- ↑ Stevens et al., The Royal Australian Navy, p. 108
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
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References
- Books
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- Journal and news articles
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External links
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